Freak on a Leash
by DTS Guru
Summary: After BDM. Inspired by Korn song but not songfic. River goes dancing-Oaty Bar style. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I was listening to my MP3 player at work & Freak on Leash came on and River popped into my head. Couldn't stop thinking about this for the rest of the day. Some musical influences here if you're interested. Korn's Freak on a Leash obviously. Minerva by Deftones, I always think of River when I hear that one. And some of River's dialogue near the end is lifted straight from Seven Mary Three's Each Little Mysteries.**

* * *

Her flowing skirt floated in the air, carried on the breeze created as her body spun in intricate patterns. She danced to music that only she could hear. To choreography only she among the crew of the Serenity could hope to perfect. It was a dance of precision, of beauty, of grace. Of death. Or, that was how _they_ intended the steps to be used.

River vaguely registered the Fruity Oaty Bars theme still playing in background of the back-world bar. In most places the commercial was no longer played, but every so often they would run across a place so out of touch with the rest of the 'verse they still played it. In these places River inevitably had a...bad day. And so did everyone in her vicinity.

* * *

Jayne stood behind Kaylee, his arms crossed and his expression stony. Ship parts were always cheaper with the scary man discount. This scrapper was an old guy though, and was clearly half in love with Kaylee's sunshiny personality already. He'd probably sell her half the yard for a kiss on the cheek. Jayne let his eyes wander. This was a small moon, hardly worth stopping on. If Mal had done a better job of planning their fueling points they wouldn't have had to stop at all. But their choices had come down to stopping or drifting in the black.

Jayne's eyes fell on a display of foil-wrapped snack bars and he swore. "Gorram it! Where's River?"

Kaylee spun with wide eyes. "Why? What's a'matter?"

Jayne shook his head, spinning around to head out of the shop. "I'm gonna miss the show!"

Once he was out of the scrapper's shop it wasn't hard to figure where the pilot had got to. There was a steady stream of people running toward the small saloon at the edge of town. Thankfully the townspeople weren't stupid enough to go into the bar. Unfortunately, Jayne could see Simon running for the building, and he had his med kit in hand. That _hun dan _doctor was going to say those ruttin' words then shoot her up with somethin'. River would be fuzzy for days after. She hated those gorram drugs.

Jayne took off running, at a pace to reach the building before the doc. He shouldered his way through the crowd and into the front door, ignoring the warnings about the crazed lunatic on a killing spree. He doubted she was killing anyone. It had been months since River had killed anyone during an Oaty Bars episode.

He had a few moments before Simon arrived to appreciate the view. She was breathtaking. Absolutely stunning. Jayne studied her moves, awed, as always, at the control she had over her body. As he watched, she spun her leg up to head level, easy as could be, kicking a man in the temple, knocking him out. Another man came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her, trapping her arms. A smile graced her lips as she met Jayne's eyes. She didn't appear troubled in the least by the man holding her. Her long dancer's leg came up again, graceful as could be, the heavy boot on the end slamming into the man's forehead. His grip loosened as he fell away. With a delighted laugh, she pirouetted away to find her next dancing partner.

Simon stumbled in next to Jayne. He opened his mouth and drew in a gulp of air, preparing to say those ruttin' words that would drop her. River's head jerked around, a small frown on her lips. She jerked her head to the side just in time to avoid a fist. Jayne frowned. The gorram doc was making her lose her focus. She was gonna get hurt 'cause of him. Before the doc could utter the first syllable of the gorram phrase, Jayne brought up his elbow, slamming it into Simon's windpipe.

Simon spluttered, leaning forward, clutching his throat.

"Won't be putting Riv to sleep no more, Doc," Jayne stated in a conversational tone, his eyes still focused on the girl and her movements. "Just watch. She's in control now."

Her body was relaxed again, her head back fully in her dance. She didn't have many partners left. Jayne could see the shift in her shoulders as she realized the same thing and the disappointment settled in, her dance was almost over. With a little grin he stepped onto the floor. It was time the girl had a partner who knew at least a few of the steps.

* * *

Simon dabbed the disinfectant on Jayne's lip, the disapproval on his face the only part of his bed-side manner that was not gentle. Jayne jerked away from the doctor. He didn't need all the doctoring. Just a few bruises and a scrape or two. He tilted his head toward the girl.

"You should check her out. Make sure none of those _hun dans_ landed any blows."

Simon eagerly turned to his sister. He had tried to doctor her first but she had insisted that Jayne be the first patient. Stubborn moonbrain. She rolled her eyes in Jayne direction. He glared right back at her. If she didn't like his thoughts then maybe she should stay out of his gorram head!

Jayne slid off the table and made his way to the galley in search of a snack. He was still rifling through cabinets when River slipped past him and hopped up onto the counter next to him. She leaned her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands.

"_Ge ge_ can't see that she is no longer a freak on a leash."

Jayne had been staring into a cabinet, shifting cans left and right without really seeing them. Slowly his hand lowered and he turned to her. "Uh…what?"

River met his gaze with a sad little smile. "Hands of blue, two by two. They took something from her, lost it. Put a leash on her." Her brow scrunched up. "And then _ge ge_ took the leash and tried to walk the dog."

She looked away, the frown more evident on her face. Jayne worked through her words, trying to piece it together. He thought he might understand. "So, the phrase that puts you to sleep and the drugs and all that? That's the leash? The things that Simon uses to try to control you?"

She turned to him with a beaming smile. Jayne sucked in a startled breath. That was the ruttin' shiniest smile he'd ever seen. He'd glimpsed it before, when River played tag with Kaylee, or when Mal praised her for her piloting skills or for helping out on a job. But this was the first time it had been focused on him.

River reached out one tiny hand, putting it on his shoulder. Jayne's heart hammered in his chest as she used his body to steady her descent from the countertop. He knew she didn't need any help with her balance. The gorram girl walked along the railings for fun, with her eyes closed. She'd touched him for some other reason. His heart beat faster as he tried to figure out why she would want to touch him. Maybe even she didn't know.

She leaned in closer to him. "She knows why she touched him."

He frowned. "Stop reading my ruttin thoughts."

"She did not take from him. Just accepted what was thrust upon her."

Jayne slammed a hand over her mouth, frantically looking around to make sure no one had heard her before leaning in close to growl lowly at her. "Don't go saying that _go se_ where someone can hear you. I haven't thrust nothin' of mine on you. You're gonna get me shoved out the airlock, Moonbrain!"

River opened her mouth and licked his hand with a giggle. Jayne jerked his hand away, wiping it on his pants with a grunt.

"What are you playin' at?"

Her smile softened and she reached out her small hand. Jayne stumbled back a step, half afraid she was about to pull something on him. She settled her hand on his chest. He tried to ignore the warm feeling of her small palm resting against his heart.

"Each little mystery is safe in your heart." She said earnestly, watching him, hoping he would understand.

Jayne scratched his head.

She rolled her eyes. "Need to have a little conversation." She patted his chest, like that would make her words make some kind of ruttin' sense. "Find the truth behind the questions that are haunting you."

Jayne scoffed. "Don't believe in ghosts."

"Ape-man is most irritating when intentionally obtuse." River decided that Jayne clearly would only understand the most direct of approaches.

With her free hand she grabbed the back of his neck and jerked his head down to her level, bringing his lips to her own. She kissed him gently, telling him with her body how she felt, since he would not understand her words.

When he pulled away, Jayne looked slightly dazed, but not unpleased. He stared down at her for a long moment, making up his mind how he felt about this development. She knew how he felt about it, but he didn't. He hadn't allowed himself to acknowledge how he felt. He always avoided thinking about it.

Finally, he grinned at her. "Well why didn't you just say so?"

River tilted her head back and laughed. Simon would be so upset. The girl was no longer on the leash. She had slipped from her collar.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: You guys wanted a follow-up. So here's the epilogue. Just took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to do. I was having trouble with it. Then Jayne came for a visit while I was heading to the grocery store, but I had my boys with me and they scared him off. Got me to thinking about how odd it was that he was scared of kids. Why was he so scared of kids all of sudden?**

**Disclaimer: Forgot this on the first one. I'm not Joss, so I don't get anything but reviews from fabulous people. Gorram it. I could use some money cause my 5 year old boy eats more than a full grown man, but the reviews are nice too.**

* * *

"Does our merc seem a might skittish to you?" Mal asked, turning to Zoe with a quirked eyebrow.

The stoic woman next to him nodded her head once, her eyes scanning the horizon constantly.

Mal quickly turned his attention back to the buyers approaching them. "_Gorram_ it. I'm getting' shot."

Zoe's lip twitched slightly. An uncharitable person might have even called it a grin.

An hour later the ship's doctor finished tying off the last stitch. "Don't get the stitches wet…what am I saying? You know the drill."

Mal slid off the table, wincing as his weight landed on the injured leg. He turned a glare to his mercenary. "What exactly am I paying you for if I keep getting shot on these jobs and you don't have a single scratch?"

He didn't receive the anticipated gruff response. Instead Jayne merely gave him a wide-eyed look, shook his head and quickly fled the room. Mal shared another look with Zoe. Something was clearly wrong with his hired man, and it was high time Mal figured out what. Jayne had been acting suspiciously for weeks now. The man was skulking around the ship, not talking to anyone. He was keeping his head down and his thought to himself. Normally Mal would be happy with this. Hell, who wouldn't be happy with less of Jayne's mouthing off? But _no_ talking? That was just creepifying. Something was off in a bad way.

Mal had really started worrying when Jayne began pushing his food around on his plate instead of eating a week earlier. Jayne was a bottomless pit. The man would eat anything he could catch. But he had known something was truly wrong when they stopped off on Persephone and _Janye had not gone whoring_. Mal should have taken the merc straight to a hospital. It was a sign of a major illness or depression or something. The man must be dying. Now Mal would have to find a new merc. _Gorram_ it. And he had just gotten to the point he could stand this one.

Mal hobbled through the ship, searching for the merc. He went to the galley first, from habit he supposed. Instead of finding Jayne there, he found River instead. She was perched on the counter, dipping tofu sticks into soy sauce and eating them. She glanced up, her big eyes filled with sadness as they met his.

Her eyes pleaded with his as her mouth opened. "She did not mean to collar him. She doesn't want a pet freak. She told him she won't try to take him for walks. That he is free to go, but he won't go."

Mal nodded and moved to her side, patting her shoulder. He had no ruttin' clue what the girl was saying, but she was clearly torn up about it. "It'll all work out, Albatross. Have you seen, Jayne?"

She held up a slender arm, ramrod straight, one finger pointed down the hall toward his bunk. "The inmate is in his cell, pacing, awaiting his execution."

Mal chuckled. "I'm not that angry. Just a little flesh wound."

She cocked her head to one side, giving him a funny look. Mal suddenly had the feeling that they had been having two separate conversations the entire time. He was used to experiencing that sensation around River though. So he just shrugged his shoulders and moved toward Jayne's bunk. As he was walking out of the galley he heard Simon calling out to River.

"Come along, _m__ei mei_ we need to check your levels."

He heard her boots thump on the floor as she jumped from the counter. Her heavy sigh followed Mal down the corridor. He couldn't blame her reluctance to face Simon's tests and needles.

Mal banged on Jayne's hatch. "Open up, Jayne."

The hatch opened to reveal Jayne standing below with a pale face and wary eyes. He had a hand on Vera. Mal stepped back, his hand immediately moving to his own gun. _Gorram_ it, why was Jayne opening the door to his captain with a hand on his gun? Something more than a _gorram_ common cold was going on!

"Why don't you come on out of there." Mal demanded with a hard voice. He wasn't about to climb down into that small bunk with all those weapons.

Jayne's eyes stayed on Mal's as he climbed out into the hall. Once he was out he stood with his feet slightly apart, his hands resting on his hips, a deceptively relaxed position that placed them within easy reach of at least three weapons that Mal knew of, and surely more that he didn't.

"What exactly is going on here, Jayne?"

Jayne's eyes widened slightly. "You tell me. I was minding my own business in my bunk."

Mal stared at the man before him, wracking his brains. River's words floated back to him. She'd said something about Jayne waiting to be executed, But Mal had a feeling she hadn't been talking about his leg wound. So what had she been talking about?

"I got the feeling you been doing something behind my back. Something I should be knowing about."

Jayne's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. "That's private business, Mal."

Aha! He'd hit a nerve there. "There ain't no private business on Serenity! This here is my boat and there ain't no secrets on it. I am to be included in everything that happens on this here boat."

Jayne's face scrunched up in disgust. "Well you ain't gonna be included in this!"

Mal was about to press the point, but Kaylee came running up to his side, grabbing his arm. "Mal, you gotta come quick!"

She started dragging him off. "What? Did something blow in the engine room? Please tell me we ain't gonna all freeze and suffocate again? Once was enough for me."

"No, something's going on in the infirmary. Simon's really mad at River and they're arguing. She's getting awfully upset. I'm afraid she might hurt him. Please go calm them down."

Jayne swore violently. He shoved them both roughly to the side and took off at a sprint. Mal and Kaylee stared at him in a shock. This was the most animated they had seen Jayne in weeks. And over a fight between River and Simon? Sure he loved to watch River fight, they all knew that. And he did love to see Simon taken down a notch or two, but a fight between the two couldn't be entertaining. It would last two seconds at most. Either she would hit him once, putting him down, or he would manage to spit out the safety phrase knocking her out and it would be over. How fun could that be to watch?

They rushed to catch up, finally coming up behind him as he came to a stop in the infirmary doorway. Simon and River were facing off. Simon was livid. His face was bright red, his eyes wide. His entire body was trembling with rage. Across from him was River, completely composed, which was a danger sign to anyone who knew her well. She was eyeing him with a calm expression, her pale face a neutral mask. Her weight was balanced on the balls of her feet, ready to go in any direction.

"Tell me who," Simon demanded.

She cocked one eyebrow. "There is too much static. You will not receive the message well."

Simon growled. He actually growled. Mal hadn't thought the fancy doctor even had a temper. "Some _gorram_ _hun dan _out there is going to die, preferably slowly and painfully. Tell me his name."

"No." She replied with a small smile.

Mal pushed Jayne forward, out of his way. He walked into the bright white room to stand between the siblings. "What is going on here?"

"_Ge ge_ does not accept the butterfly emerging from her chrysalis. Wants her to remain in larva stage forever."

Mal turned to Simon for the English translation. Simon threw an arm toward his sister. "Someone knocked her up!"

Mal's mouth fell open. Albatross was getting sexed? By _who?_ Mal felt the rage flow through him. Who had laid his filthy hands on his little psychic? He'd find the _hun dan _and rip the man's hands right off.

River placed her hands on her hips and turned to Mal. "No. She likes his hands where they are, thank you."

Wait. Wait just a _gorram_ minute. She likes where his hands are? Likes? As in, right now? So, this was an on-going relationship? This was someone she saw regularly? There weren't very many men she saw regularly. In fact, there were only three. And they were all in this room. Since two of them were shocked as hell that left man number three as the daddy to be. Mal spun around.

Jayne met Mal's eyes with a guilty expression. Mal's eyes narrowed. "Airlock. Now."

Kaylee gasped. "You're the father? You sexed River?"

Inara was glaring at the man. "How could you? Were you really so desperate between whoring stops that you would take advantage of the poor girl?"

Jayne's jaw clenched. "Didn't take 'vantage of nobody. Girl could kill me with one hand if she wanted to."

Mal shoved Jayne in the chest, pushing him toward the cargo hold, and the airlock. "This is your stop. You're getting off my boat."

"Then so is she." River announced, stepping forward.

"River, no," Simon moved forward to stop her. "No one is mad at you."

"Should be. She started it. She kissed the man with the girl's name. He tried to run but she caught him."

Even in the midst of the tense situation the two shared a small smile at her words. Zoe caught the smile, recognized it for what it was. She pushed off the wall of the infirmary and moved to stand next to Mal. This was one of the few times that she might have to go against his orders. But her time with Wash had taught her many things, one of them being that sometimes going against Mal's orders was the right thing to do. If she hadn't, she never would have had all of those years with her wonderful, irritating, sarcastic, genius of a pilot husband.

"Jayne, how do you feel about River?" Zoe asked quietly.

Jayne's eyes flashed to the soldier's, panic filling them. "Ah…why do you ask?"

"Jayne," she warned.

He glared at Zoe before sighing, all of the fight leaving his body with the breath. He muttered the words quietly, like he was confessing to a sin. "Love th'girl."

River squealed and threw herself across the room into Jayne's arms. Everyone else was too shocked to stop her. They stared in horror as the mercenary wrapped his big arms around her, squeezing his eyes closed as he held her tightly against his chest.

Mal turned to Zoe. "Well I have completely failed as a surrogate father."

Zoe shrugged. "She's happy. And he'll treat her right."

He furrowed his brow, trying to understand how Zoe could possibly come to that conclusion. His second in command read his expression and explained. "You've seen the way the man worships his weapons. She's the shiniest weapon he's ever seen."

Simon stomped up beside them. "You have to do something about this! Stop this abomination!"

Zoe chuckled. "You know, Simon is right. This is an abomination. Jayne's ma would be awfully disappointed to hear he had a little one out of wedlock."

River's head whipped around as Simon began to sputter.

"No. She will not force him into a collar."

"Shh. It's alright," Jayne spoke up. "Long as you're the one holding the leash, Riv, I think I'd kind of like that particular collar."


End file.
